Fireclay Farmhouse Sink Review: The good, bad & everything you need to know
Sarah is a wife and mother of 3 living in a 1980’s fixer-upper. She started her blog, Little Vintage Nest, in December 2015 to share her budget-friendly DIY projects and the journey of renovating their home. Recently, they redesigned their kitchen with the Bradstreet fireclay farmhouse sink from Sinkology. You can view her kitchen remodel reveal with before and after photos here. Now, she’s back with a comprehensive review of her new fireclay sink, after living with it for a few months. Her original post is available here.
Soooooo I don’t know how your week went, but I’m pretty darn happy it’s Friday. Very, very happy. My week started out with a two-hour dentist appointment on Monday and various other not-so-pleasant things happened throughout the week. Nothing major at all, but it was just one of those weeks where I felt like I hardly kept up with all the things and my to-do list was pretty much untouched. Frustrating would be a good word to describe it. But that’s ok. All is well and we have a fresh weekend staring us in the face. Hallelujah! Anyway, I was thinking the other day, while elbow deep in dishes, how I’ve been meaning to do a farmhouse sink review for you guys. It was actually something I wanted to do before the holidays, but then life went crazy and I never got around to doing it. You know how that goes. But today is the day my friends! I’m here to spill the beans on all the good and bad that comes with owning a farmhouse sink. I hope this helps if you’re thinking about installing one in your own home or if you’re just curious about the pros and cons.
So just a bit of backstory before I jump into the review–we’ve had our farmhouse sink about 3 months now, which I think is plenty of time to get a feel for things. If you followed along on our kitchen makeover, you know that a farmhouse sink had been on my home bucket list for years. It was one of those things I always wanted in my “dream home”, so I was beyond excited to get one. We went with the Sinkology fireclay farmhouse sink, which is actually reversible. We could choose to have the classic plain front facing outwards or the portrait front. We went with the classic front because I wanted the traditional, timeless look. I am so happy we went that route because I love the way it looks!
POSITIVES TO LOVE:
Durability: This sink is heavy duty and super durable. Since it’s fireclay, which is a blend of clay and glaze, it’s scratch, stain and heat resistant. It also resists cracks and it doesn’t chip. We aren’t necessarily easy on the sink and it holds up like a champ. This thing is rock solid.
No Rust or Fading: An extra bonus of fireclay is that it does not rust or fade at all. I love knowing that it will stay that vibrant white color FOREVER.
Large Size For Washing All The Things: One of the big perks of a farmhouse sink is that it’s large enough to put big pans and pans in to wash. For instance, I use a lot of large cookie sheets and baking dishes. Before our farmhouse sink, I’d always have to wash those in sections because the sink was too small. But this guy is large and deep, so it allows for plenty of room to wash all the big stuff!
Garbage Disposal Compatible: We weren’t sure if our garbage disposal would work with this sink, but it is completely compatible. My husband was able to make it work using the drain that came with the kit. I was soooooo grateful for that because mama needs her garbage disposal!
Timeless Look: As far as looks go, I don’t think you can go wrong with a farmhouse sink. It has a classic, timeless look that will stand the test of time–no matter your style. And in my opinion, it totally changes the overall vibe of the kitchen. It instantly adds lots of character and charm, which I LOVE.
NEGATIVES TO CONSIDER:
One Basin: There is obviously only one large basin with our sink and it took a bit of getting used to. With our old sink, which had two separate basins, I would always wash in one and rinse in the other. Now we have to make sure we rinse all the food off everything first before we fill the sink with water. It isn’t a big deal, but it just takes time to get used to a new process of doing dishes. You can find farmhouse sinks with two separate basins, but it’s just a personal preference on the look you want.
Gotta Keep It Clean: I’ve noticed that if we don’t keep up on cleaning the sink, as in regularly scrubbing it down and keeping all the junk out, it can look dirty. Since it’s so large and perfectly flat, food and other stuff gets caught in the corners, which means we have to use the hose on the faucet to reach all the corners to keep it clean. And of course anything like coffee or spaghetti sauce can leave pesky little splatter marks that are easy to see on the white backdrop, but they quickly wipe off.
Installation: Installing a farmhouse sink is definitely a bit of work. It’s not like simply dropping a regular old sink in–you have to support it with reinforcements under the sink. It’s nothing major, you can check out my tutorial here to see how we did it, but it’s something to be aware of. You’ll also need to adjust the lower cabinet under the sink. Thankfully my husband was able to save our cabinet doors and just trim them down to size to make them work! You could also remove the doors altogether and use a curtain instead.
Price: Farmhouse sinks aren’t cheap. They’re definitely an investment, but in my opinion, there is no better place to spend your money than in the kitchen. It really is the heart of the home.
Overall, I absolutely LOVE our farmhouse sink. In fact, I’m already planning on taking it with us if we ever move. Kidding! Sort of. But really, it’s amazing and I am so happy we finally have one. They’re just so timeless and they add loads of charm and character to any kitchen. And even though they’re pricey, I really do think it’s worth the investment. Especially with a good quality farmhouse sink like ours, it’s pretty much guaranteed to stand the test of time. And unlike an expensive refrigerator or oven, there is really no worry about it fritzing out on you. It’s there for good!
Well, I hope this review helps if you’re thinking about getting a farmhouse sink for your own home. Please let me know if you have any questions, I’m happy to help!
